Friday, 9 October 2009

Friday Flaunt

Yesterday I wandered in to the R.S.P.C.A. Op Shop in Castlemaine. Fortuitously, as it turned out.

Everything was 50% off...HOORAY!!!!

I bought a lot of EPNS flatware.For 50¢ a piece.Altogether 50 pieces.Maybe a few more with the teaspoons...

This was After I polished them, you can see two spoons at the front showing the Before...

And the easiest way to clean them?

Cover the base of a china or glass dish with a sheet of aluminium foil. I used a large lasagna dish for all my treasures.

Then layer the cutlery with each piece touching the foil. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda over, and then cover the lot with boiling water. It will gently fizz away. When it stops fizzling, hook each piece out and polish on a clean cotton cloth. I went through about 10 tea towels, and some of the soup spoons particularly had to be redone.

The piece of foil looked like it had been through a fire by the end. Some sort of osmosis thing happens. I don't know what the chemical reaction is but I do remember seeing this on Mr Rogers when we lived in San Francisco 22 years ago...

There are a few ornate ones to send off to Missie Krissie to make into her clever jewellery stands, but the rest will go to add to the collection I have from my grandmother Morton and her mum, Grandma Bayliss. I like that my boys used cutlery that their great great grandparents once used back in the 1880's.

2 comments:

Oh my god I just read this (late I know), you are awesome!! I was so jealous when I saw the photo of all the polished ones, 50c!!! :) I had tried that way of polishing them up but it didn't work. I must have done something wrong, better have another go! Thanks so much for thinking of me!!! xx

jasmine at mmnet dot com dot au

Banaghaisge (bana-jas-ga) is Gaelic for 'the amazing feats and exploits of a woman', and that is what this blog is about. I am a baby boomer, with four wonderful sons (Just The Four Boys), and I make quilts...Lots of quilts. I knit, and cook and rant and rave about political stuff (you shgoudl see my FB and Twitter feeds!!!), I also do other things along the way. Come with me and find out what I get up to!